Read on Twitter
Starting off the #ARM20 closing plenary with a critical question by @RRHDr: is this a moment or a turning point for our field to become anti-racist?
LaVeist: we need bold change, not incremental: need to look at every aspect of the work we do in health services research and be willing to be vulnerable enough to examine the "sacred cows" that were formed with/from structural racism.
. @alanrweil: @Health_Affairs is very much part of the ecosystem that needs to examine and dismantle structural racism.
Health Affairs' role: first, publication of the scholarship on racism, but also looking internally at (1) author and reviewer pool - unpaid work that enforces dominant structures; (2) methods: media and field love quantitative work but it "buries the voices of many"
. @alanrweil suggests that dominance of quantitative methods in Health Affairs is a subtle reinforcing of structural racism in the field.
. @DrSimpsonHSR: @AcademyHealth is a place to model how to have these conversations, which have to happen systematically across the institutions in our field.
Three levels of power for @AcademyHealth: (1) how the organization itself operates; (2) the processes they have control over, how the field engages (governance, committees, etc); (3) role as a thought-leader and advocate for change.
. @alanrweil: very poignant & powerful message: "We have to be vulnerable, but to be vulnerable we have to feel safe. And to feel safe, we have to recognize each others' humanity."
LaVeist: need to strip out racism in structures and put in anti-racism, starting with public health accreditation standards to center health equity. #ARM20
Nakela Cook: need to address bias in research processes and awards at PCORI, and diversify teams and engagement of communities of color in research. #ARM20
. @DrSimpsonHSR is trying to lean into the discomfort and use the emotions it brings up in her personally to make sure she listens more and really uses this moment for change.
. @RRHDr asks: how are you thinking about changing power structures, and what must be given up?
@DrSimpsonHSR response: https://twitter.com/michelleko2d/status/1291465030156709888?s=21 https://twitter.com/michelleko2d/status/1291465030156709888
LaVeist's response: making sure health equity is in the core but also thinking about how Tulane's resources can be invested in Black-owned businesses in New Orleans #ARM20
Cook's response: PCORI will have an "intentional and structured process" to look at whether or not they have an inclusive research community as well as reflecting on whether their org culture is equitable / inclusive and whether engagement with communities is authentic.
. @alanrweil: This is about power (referencing his blog post) and we are agenda-setters. What is important? What should people read? https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200603.831955/full/
. @alanrweil: Health Affairs' power is selection of papers that they choose to review and present to the world -- but they have a very low acceptance rate. They are now trying to identify papers of merit that might require more work but bring in new voices.
. @alanrweil "Merit [in article review decisions] reinforces the existing power structure" (Very inspired by his openness and commitment to change in this conversation!)
. @RRHDr asks: What does mentoring and training look like for the next generation?
And -- it's a wrap! Excellent session, thank you to all the panelists! Will try to share more tweets from this session below on points I missed.
How will we know when we are successful? https://twitter.com/michelleko2d/status/1291471881288028161?s=20
